A Passion for Handmade Books

Bookbinding is a craft that requires skill and technique. Beautiful designs can be created on books by those who possess these skills. These are the works of some very talented bookbinders from Spain.

From the classic Pocket Moleskine journal to the Small Rite In The Rain Soft Cover Field Memo Book, we enjoy the portability of a small journal. But these three miniature books take "pocket-sized" to whole other level. 

Making things by hand is what we do. So when we come across others who do the same we can’t help but want to share it. Ashley Willerton, is one of those artists who creates gorgeous work by hand. 

Benjamin Elbel runs elbel libro bookbinding, a London-based business offering bookbinding services, stationery products and products for bookbinders. Benjamin is a busy bookbinding instructor in the UK, Europe (also Holland at Boekbinderij Wilgenkamp) and the USA.

At Arion Press, they do things the old school way, making books that act as a tribute to the author. These books will last for generations. Watch as Anthony Bourdain gets an inside look into this process.

Notebooks are still the designer's preferred tool when it comes to brainstorming. Paper and pencil allow designers to sketch out ideas and find solutions which are fundamental steps in the creative process.

A while ago we put our skills to the test with a difficult stamping job. An all-over pattern embossed with an inset logo, on a modern yellow notebook, posed some challenges that were fun and actually very rewarding to solve.

The convenience of a pocket sized notebook just makes things easier. Whether it's a classic Moleskine notebook, a rustic handmade leather journal, or a uniquely designed Paperblanks we've got you covered. Here's a list of our favorite small/pocket sized notebooks. 

Barb Zimmerman is an artist who paints, but not with watercolors, acrylics or oils...she paints with paper. Painting with paper allows her to create a truly unique piece of work that she finds most satisfying.

Here's a Client Appreciation job we did for designer Matt Paquette. Paquette designs marketing and promotional materials for The WORKS Gourmet Burger Bistro and designed some personalized Moleskine notebooks as a thank you gift.

We tested both these papers to decide which pens works best, here are some of the results that we came up with and would like to share with you.

Peggy Nolan, International Best Selling Author, wrote a piece for the Huffington Post on the 26 reasons why she keeps a journal. For her, journal writing helped through some difficult times and also helped her remember the happier ones.